Natasha Stasiuk of Oakville will represent Canada at the U.S. Adaptive Open starting next week on July 8, 2024, marking her third straight appearance in the tournament since its inception.
For Stasiuk, 26, this year’s tournament will be particularly special as she returns after securing a first-place finish in the women’s intellectual impairment category at last year’s Adaptive Open in North Carolina, which she won despite having a broken ankle.
Read more here: Golf: Natasha builds on success
This year's third annual championship will take place at Sand Creek Station in Newton, Kansas, from July 8-10, 2024. Stasiuk will be one of nine Canadians competing in the championship and credits her readiness to the guidance she's received from her coaches, Carrie Vaughn, Nick Starchuk, and Ralph Bauer.
"I'm more confident than I was last year," Stasiuk told Oakville News. "I've been shooting in the 70s more, but sometimes I do have a fluke of an 80."
Stasiuk hopes to win her category and place in the top three overall, a position she fell just short of at last year's tournament, tying for fourth place with Grace Braxton of Fredericksburg, Virginia.
Representing Canada, Stasiuk will compete against golfers from eleven other countries, ranging in age from 15 to 78, across eight impairment categories. Of the 96 other golfers in this tournament, Stasiuk is one of only 66 who has played in the tournament before.
According to her family, Stasiuk's ultimate goal is to be part of Team Canada when golf is included in the Paralympics. Currently, Stasiuk is ranked #1 in the world for female golfers with an intellectual disability. Winning this year's tournament would be a massive achievement to add to her already impressive athletic record.
Good luck, Natasha!